History

Robert Palmer – who is of course mentioned in the lyrics to “Tube” – had more than fifteen albums of his own, plus two more with The Power Station. The ninth brought him MTV fame, accompanied by iconic videos such as for “Addicted to Love.” But it was his first album in 1974, with the hit title track "Sneakin' Sally through the Alley," that brought him radiofame years earlier.

Lee Dorsey, "Sneakin' Sally Through The Alley"

Written by the late Little Feat member Allen Toussaint, “Sneakin’ Sally” was originally recorded by Lee Dorsey for his Yes We Canalbum, produced by Toussaint with The Meters backing Dorsey, and packaged in a funky six-song suite buffered by title tracks. Palmer's version is also part of a suite, following “Sailing Shoes” (by Lowell George of Little Feat) and “Hey Julia” in an uninterrupted flow, as if the three are one track. While not the original, Palmer's version is better known, and closer to what Phish plays.

“Sneakin’ Sally” was played frequently through the late 80s, then after 5/28/89 it was dropped for over a decade. Making its return on the biggest of stages, “Sneakin’ Sally” triumphantly opened the 12/30/97 gig at Madison Square Garden after a 921-show absence. Still burning fuel well after the venue’s curfew, “Sneakin’ Sally” was reprised in the midst of that show’s four-song encore, punctuating one of the most memorable shows in Phish history. 1998 was an especially strong year for “Sneakin’ Sally,” with high-octane versions on 4/2/98 on the Island Tour, 8/8/98 Merriweather, and 10/31/98 in Vegas.

The first post-hiatus appearance was a doozy, a 15-minute romp through Deer Creek on 7/23/03. Similarly, upon their return to the stage in 2009, Phish laid down one of the strongest versions of "Sneakin' Sally" to date, a 17-minute epic at The Gorge on 8/7/09. Other notable versions from the modern era include strong, vocal-jam infused versions on 6/4/11 Blossom, 7/6/12 SPAC, and 8/19/12 San Francisco, the last emerging out of “Light” and anchoring one of the best second sets of that or any other era. "Sneakin' Sally" was playing with house money on 11/1/13 in Atlantic City, and delighted beach-goers on the final night of the Miami NYE run on 1/3/15.

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The Mockingbird Foundation is a non-profit organization founded by Phish fans in 1996 to generate charitable proceeds from the Phish community.

And since we're entirely volunteer – with no office, salaries, or paid staff – administrative costs are less than 2% of revenues! So far, we've distributed over $1,000,000 to support music education for children – hundreds of grants in all 50 states, with more on the way.